WASHINGTON – The last time Stefan Struve was seen inside the UFC cage was in February. After he submitted Marcos Rogerio de Lima in the second round, he took off his gloves and placed them in the center of the canvas.
That was going to be his last fight, the Dutch heavyweight announced on the microphone.
But that won’t be “it” for the Dutch fighter. At Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7, Struve (29-11 MMA, 13-9 UFC) will make the walk to the UFC cage once again – the first fight on his new deal.
But the question remains: Why did Struve retire in the first place? At a pre-fight media day held Thursday, Struve described a number of factors that led to his decision.
“At first when I made that decision, I felt really good,” Struve told MMA Junkie. “I felt no urge to get back in there. It was real nice. Then, I got the appetite back. Ultimately, what led to the decision was the years before the last fight were pretty frustrating for me. Three losses, shoulder surgery, hand surgeries, problems with my back. I fought fights where I was fighting more against myself than I was able to showcase my skills.”
While the long-term battles wore him down, it was the short term struggle with opponent de Lima that caused him to make an impulsive decision. Struve was dropped in the opening seconds, but somehow survived. Frustrated with his performance, Struve didn’t take the proper time to assess his future.
“It took a lot out of me, especially after all the stuff that had happened before that,” Struve said. “I was just done at that point. It was just me being honest. I felt like if I would go in there a couple months later with that focus, it wouldn’t be a good result. It would be putting myself in unnecessary danger.”
But now Struve is feeling good. His time away from competition has left him feeling rejuvenated and enthusiastic. While he hasn’t been fighting for a paycheck, Struve said he has still been training on a day-to-day basis. A longer, thoroughly-considered thought process led him to his return.
“I just needed some time off, you know – to really dig deep into my own mind to see what’s going on, just being away from everything a little bit,” he said. “I wasn’t even under contract with the UFC. I had nothing going. There was no pressure for a fight or whatever.
“… After four or five months, I was like, ‘I’m doing so well still against these top level guys. I’m feeling so good and I’m having fun with it.’ There’s nothing really at this moment that I would like to put my energy (into) and go for. If you’re doing so well, why not compete a couple more times? You’ve fought up to a level and a point where the paychecks are real good. If you feel good, then why not? Let’s do it.”
Struve will take on another longtime UFC veteran in Ben Rothwell (36-12 MMA, 6-6 UFC) on the UFC on ESPN 7 main card.
UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Check out Stuve’s full UFC DC pre-fight interview in the video above.
Stefan Struve on ending retirement: 'If you're doing so well, why not compete a couple more times?'
